Providing research solutions to humankind’s greatest challenges

The challenges of the 21st century are many and complex; the opportunities are exciting and filled with potential. Creating a future that is inclusive and in which people can thrive will require research teams that include those who are highly talented within their own discipline, creative and agile, capable of partnering, and able to work across disciplinary boundaries.

As a comprehensive university, Griffith is well placed to bring together leading researchers from arts and humanities, social sciences, performing and creative arts, science, engineering, medicine and allied health in formidable combinations to take on the big questions of our time.

Griffith has a long track record of providing high-quality, relevant research that aims to solve the major problems of the day or that helps to grasp new and exciting opportunities as they emerge. Such projects have already created enormous economic, social and cultural benefits for the people of Queensland and beyond. With expertise spanning everything from violence prevention to lowering the cost of health care to using quantum physics for cybersecurity to protecting our fragile coastlines, Griffith researchers are already tackling some of the big questions of our time.

Our disciplines are at the core of our research and we will continue to invest in areas of excellence and expertise. We also support the fundamental and theoretical research that is a critical part of the research ecosystem and improves our success in nationally competitive grants. It is critical that we continue to improve in these areas.

However, we recognise that, in order to be leaders in research that has impact, we will need to engage beyond disciplinary boundaries and in close partnerships with those outside the University. We will design more ambitious and innovative programs of research, called Griffith Beacons, which will tackle the core problems of the future, drawing on a range of disciplines and partnerships. The Beacons will enable researchers to undertake the highest-quality research of global import and local relevance. We will also encourage smaller-scale, interdisciplinary projects (Griffith Spotlights) to encourage a strong environment of problem-oriented research across the University.

We will invest in the capabilities of our researchers at all stages of their careers to ensure that they fulfil their potential. In particular, we will invest in our researchers who are early in their careers, with support for research graduate students to be skilled for a wide variety of future employment prospects and through investing in our postdoctoral program. We will focus on ensuring that everyone hired for positions that include research is capable of, and supported in producing research of national and international value.

We will continue to improve our performance in national competitive grants while we renew and reinvigorate our commitment to partnering in ways that bring additional insight, expertise, and resources to our research. We will support our researchers at all stages of their careers to be capable and confident in working with industry and other external partners in a mutually beneficial way, and increase our income from industry sources.

We recognise the limitations of international rankings, but also that they remain useful in allowing us to demonstrate the global quality of our work, attract students and staff, and partner globally. We will commit to lifting our global rankings while staying true to our core values and celebrating the importance of those aspects of university life that are not measured well in existing rankings.

RESEARCH EXCELLENCE— PATHWAYS TO PREVENTION

Keeping children out of the criminal justice system, Griffith’s Pathways to Prevention program is considered a landmark initiative. Established by Professor Ross Homel AO, the project provided a suite of activities tailored to the needs of each child and family. The decade-long program was lauded nationally and is regarded as ‘the grandparent’ of early intervention crime prevention approaches across Australia.

Find out more about Professor Ross Homel's research

Key actions

By 2025, we will:

  • Establish Griffith Beacons, major research concentrations providing the interdisciplinary research framework to address society’s most pressing challenges and exciting opportunities. We will also establish Griffith Spotlights— smaller, short-term projects to encourage and support interdisciplinary research.
  • Engage in the strategic recruitment of internationally recognised researchers to provide the leadership required to bring academics together across disciplinary boundaries and to engage external partners.
  • Invest increased resources and focus into supporting our researchers to commercialise their research or find appropriate sources of additional funding outside traditional competitive research schemes.
  • Support researchers to be able, and qualified, to succeed in national and international competitive grants and bring in new researchers to help improve our success rates.
  • Integrate high-quality research capability into academic hiring for all balanced and research-focused positions. Move towards a framework for supporting research excellence for existing staff.
  • Better recognise the contribution of doctoral candidates as part of Griffith’s research fabric, including greater focus on providing Higher Degree by Research candidates with opportunities to develop professional skills and enhance career outcomes.
  • Invest strategically in both researchers and research infrastructure in areas of excellence. We will begin with a focus on building postdoctoral and early-career capacity and research leadership.

Key outcomes

By 2025, we will:

  • Be ranked in the top 200 universities globally.
  • Have 10 disciplines ranked in the top 100 in the world, including at least two in each academic group.
  • Have increased annual research income by at least $20M from the 2019 base, including a significant increase in industry income and several major national competitive grants successes.
  • Offer at least 15 Griffith-funded postdoctoral fellowships a year.
  • Have an integrated and strategic approach to research infrastructure spending and maintenance, with a network of partnerships that create access to external infrastructure.

RESEARCH EXCELLENCE—TRANSFORMING AGRICULTURE

Griffith researchers are playing a major role in helping drive better farming and production lines for Australia’s primary industries through the use of artificial intelligence technologies. Led by Professor Yongsheng Gao at the Institute for Integrated and Intelligent Systems, Griffith has developed AI technology known as the ‘smart farming system’, which is being used in the fruit, vegetable and seafood industries delivering efficient transformation of agricultural practices and protocols.

Read more about Artificial Intelligence at Griffith

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Learning and teaching: graduates of the future